Saturday, July 31, 2010

To celebrate Elisa's homecoming after spending the week at girls' camp, I made blueberry pancakes for brunch. They weren't anything super-special, but they were pretty good. I found the recipe at Food.com, which used to be Recipezaar.com.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

2 c. flour

1/4 c. sugar

2 1/4 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

2 lg. eggs (at room temperature)

2 c. buttermilk

1/4 c. unsalted buttermelted (cooled)

1 c. blueberries (fresh or frozen)

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt

After melted butter has cooled down, beat the eggs with the buttermilk in a separate bowl then whisk in the melted butter. Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine just until you have a lumpy batter; do NOT overmix.

Over medium-high heat, heat some butter in a large skillet. For each pancake, use a generous 1/4 cup of batter; after spooning batter into skillet, sprinkle top of each pancake with blueberries and press them in slightly.

I bought a big package of blueberries and still have a lot leftover. Anyone have a good recipe that uses fresh blueberries?

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Well, it was a good idea, but the weather didn't cooperate. Since Elisa is at camp, I decided to take Alex and Sabrina to Sundance for a trip on the lift. Elisa hates heights and has told me before that she wouldn't go. Unfortunately, although the cloud cover and wind made it feel wonderful up there, the possible lightning forced them to shut down the lift even though it wasn't raining.

They kept telling us to come back and check in half an hour to see if they would start up. So we walked around, looking at all the pretty nature sights and taking photos.

I got some great shots of the kids!

Alex and I were sitting on a rock, but Alex says it looks like he's sitting on my lap here. Hehe!

After a while, we went into the deli where Alex got a peanut butter shake and I got a Summertime Bliss smoothie. Sabrina, our very picky eater, didn't like anything, but I had already planned on that and had brought a KitKat that she ate happily while we enjoyed our treat.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Since Elisa is at girls' camp and Alexander was at Lagoon with the marching band, Sabrina and I had a fun day together yesterday. We drove up to Ogden and spent the day at the Treehouse Museum, a fun children's museum. I didn't tell her where we were going since she likes surprises. She kept asking me for clues, but she had never been there or even heard of it, so they didn't help. We listened to Imagination Movers and Shrek soundtracks all the way up. I was afraid that she wouldn't enjoy it since all she wanted to do was go to Lagoon like her brother.

The museum is right across the street from the temple. There are these painted horses all around downtown. For some reason, Sabrina thought most of them were creepy. There was a lot of parking around the museum, but I didn't like that it was only two hour parking. So every two hours, I had to stop Sabrina from whatever she was doing so we could go move the van to a different spot around the museum. Not a good way to keep people in the museum or the shops at The Junction around there if you ask me.

I think the prices are pretty good. $6 for children and $5 for adults, but you can print a $1 off coupon at the Treehouse Museum site.

There is a big "tree" in the middle of the museum that has a staircase you can climb in the middle of it up to the second floor of the museum.

There are lots of areas with dress-up fun and puppets, and many areas with books and spots to sit and read together.

There were lots of musical instruments, big and small, to play.

They have storytime and games you can play to win prizes. Sabrina and I won color-changing pencils in a game about Utah. (You put the pencil in the freezer and then when you take it out, the heat from your hand starts changing the color.)

There are lots of toys to play with, build, and create and many educational activities.

We didn't get through the day without Sabrina's moods. For some reason, after a while she didn't want to do anything in an area that had other children at all...in a crowded children's museum. She didn't want to ride this bull, but someone was on the horse. Then she got her turn.

This plastic cow had water in it that you could "milk" and she had a lot fun with that.

She especially loved the babies in the doctor's office.

She spent a lot of time in the arts area making cards for her brother and friends.

She dressed up like Martha Washington in the Oval Office. Don't tell her Martha never was in an oval office. There was a lot of educational information and games on the presidents, their wives, and on the states of the United States.

There are rooms of different countries and eras, a knights area with a giant chess game, an area with computers, so much fun.

We left at closing time and we were hungry. (There's no restaurant or cafeteria inside.) I let Sabrina choose where to go for dinner. She chose Panda Express so we drove around and found one. She was so happy. I still wasn't sure she was happy with the day until Alexander finally got home at almost midnight and Sabrina told him, "You can't guess what we did today. It was SO fun!" Yeah! I'm glad she enjoyed it and I had a lot of fun being with her. I think the museum is for young kids, but Alexander said that he wished he could have gone and would have had fun, although there is no doubt he'd chose Lagoon over the museum. Funny kids.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

I sure wish I could get back into blogging and feeling normal, but I'm not there yet. For my birthday, my parents gave me Jessie Clark Funk's CD "Everything Speaks His Name". I was so happy to get it because I've wanted it for a long time. One song I've been listening to over and over is "Carry Me" and today I wanted to share it with you, but then I searched my blog archives and found out that I had shared it before in January and I didn't remember. So I searched for a video of a different song called "Again" on the same album. I can't find one anywhere, but I still want to share the lyrics with you.

If you go to Jessie Clark Funk's website, you can listen to part of the song. It's the third song on the album. And listen to her other great songs while you're there.

AgainI’ve wrestled with demons and darkness.I’ve wrestled with what has been lost.I carry this crushing weight on my shouldersAnd try not to think of the cost.

It’s more than a single decision.It’s giving up part of myself.It’s something I simply can’t do on my ownSo I’m pleading with You for Your help.

Chorus-Again and againI’ve asked myself why.I don’t think that I have any tears left to cry.My soul is so tired and I’m longing for rest.I’m giving my all and I’m doing my best.It hurts to move on from the place I am in.

But You understand where I’ve beenAnd You reassure me it’s time to start overAgain.

I’m finally ready to listen.I’m finally ready to hear,Struggling to get a place You can reach me,Where peace can speak louder than fear.

I can’t see the end of the story.There’s no way to know how it ends.For now I let go and I trust You to lead meAnd show my heart where to begin.

Repeat Chorus

All of the pain and confusion I’m going throughI’m turning it over to You,Willing to trust it’s the right thing to do.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Saturday night Alexander and I went to see Erin's Promise, a play at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo. I hadn't heard of it before I got an email about it from Covey, but I love plays so I thought it'd be fun. I told the kids they could each invite a friend since we'd be going to the dress rehearsal performance and it was only $3 a ticket. It turned out that Elisa's friends couldn't go and Sabrina thought it would be boring. Alexander said he wanted to see it, but he probably just agreed since I said I'd just go alone. (I just found out about it 2 days before or I would have invited a friend too.)

Apparently, Larry Forkner wrote the play and introduced it to some audiences 13 years ago, but it wasn't widely released as far as I could tell. But now he has put it on the stage again in Utah and maybe other states. You can get more info at their website or Facebook page.

A brief summary of the play: Erin's Promise is the heartwarming story of Angela and Erin, two best friends in the pre-existence, who are separated when Angela leaves to go to earth in the 1800s. Angela fears with the gospel being so new and living in England she won't have a chance to hear the gospel during her time on earth. Erin makes a solemn promise to Angela. If she is not able to hear the gospel in her lifetime, Erin will make sure that her temple ordinances are completed when it's her turn on earth. Or will she?

The play has some fun/funny song and dance numbers and was cute. I was thinking while I was watching it that it reminded me of a road show. I miss road shows! It was kinda cheesy, but fun. Alexander said he liked it and was glad he went. He was singing one of the songs the next day. (You can listen to a little of each of the songs on their website or buy the soundtrack.) I don't think it'll be a big hit like Saturday's Warriors, that they compare it to, and was glad I didn't pay the normal $12 ticket price, but we had a good night.

When we looked at the website so Alex could hear the songs, Elisa noticed that one of the girls in the play was in her school class a couple of years ago. Crazy!